As South Korea struggles to curb the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a fourth person died Thursday after contracting the virus. Five more cases were also confirmed, taking the total number of people infected to 41. The country’s health ministry said that most of the patients who contracted the disease were patients at the same hospital, located south of Seoul.

A fourth person in South Korea died due to the of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and five more cases were reported on June 5, 2015, taking the total number of cases to 41. In this photo, hospital workers stand in front of a quarantine area set up at a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, June 2, 2015. Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji

As South Korea struggles to curb the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), a fourth person died Thursday after contracting the virus. Five more cases were also confirmed, taking the total number of people infected to 41. The country’s health ministry said that most of the patients who contracted the disease were patients at the same hospital, located south of Seoul.

The latest MERS victim in the country was a 76-year-old man who was being treated at a state-designated treatment center. He was diagnosed with the viral disease on May 21, after he came in close contact with the country's first patient, who has not yet been identified, Yonhap reported((3rd LD) S. Korea reports 4th death from MERS, with 5 new cases). The five new cases of the disease were found to have received a tertiary infection, heightening the threat of a larger outbreak as such people can pass the virus on to others they have been in close contact with.

One of the five people most recently diagnosed with MERS is an officer with South Korea's air force and was in the same hospital as the first MERS patient in the country(MERS Outbreak 2015: South Korea Sees First Deaths Related To Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). However, officials believe that he received the disease through a tertiary infection. Since the first case of a tertiary infection was discovered Tuesday, the number of people suspected to have the infection has grown to 1,600.

The number of suspected infections climbed drastically after Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon claimed that a doctor, diagnosed with the disease, had attended several meetings. The doctor has denied the allegation, stating that he attended the meetings when he was not diagnosed with the disease, and that he took the necessary precautions after he found out that he was exposed to the deadly virus.

Seoul’s Health Minister Moon Hyung Pyo, who expressed regrets over the allegations against the doctor, said Friday at a briefing, according to Bloomberg, that 30 of the 41 people diagnosed with MERS had contracted the disease at the Pyeongtaek St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul(South Korea Says Most MERS Patients Got Virus at Same Hospital - Bloomberg Business). Choi Bo Youl, a medical professor at Seoul’s Hanyang University, warned at the briefing that the hospital did not have adequate ventilation and the hospital air-conditioning could hasten the virus' spread.

The virus creates flu-like symptoms including pneumonia, breathing problems and, in severe cases, kidney failure and death. The health ministry is also conducting a DNA test of the MERS coronavirus to identify any mutations that may contribute to a faster spread, Yonhap reported.